Lab Report 1 Lab Equipment and Measurements Section I Concepts The word science originates from a Latin verb which means to know Science is not just a collection of random facts obtained from the natural world The focus of most scientific processes is to answer questions through experimentation in an attempt to understand how the world works and to make predictions about what will happen We are all natural scientists though we rarely formalize our actions into the scientific process For example if you leave class go to your car insert the key and hear a slow chug chug chug noise you will start the scientific process You ve made an observation The next step is to try to figure out why the car didn t roar like usual Though you haven t explicitly thought to yourself I m going to hypothesize about what s happening you will formulate possible explanations for your observation You ll probably start with the easiest explanation no gas You ll test that explanation by looking at the fuel gauge If it s empty you ll call a friend to help solve the problem If it s not empty you ll revise your explanation maybe it s the battery You ll test that explanation by asking a friend to give your car a jump If after several minutes of the two cars connected by jumper cables your car roars to life the data you ve collected will support your explanation hypothesis The data of your car starting helps you form a conclusion and while the gratitude of not having to spend a fortune washes over you the scientific method is farthest from your mind Yet in this common example we see every step of the scientific method including the necessary social component of help from friends You are and always have been a scientist Throughout the Bio 103 and Bio 104 course you re going to formalize your scientific skills Page 1 of 4 1 Scientific information can be obtained by observation and experimentation Experimentation generates data We can classify data into two broad categories Quantitative data is typically large sets of individual numbers which are used to conduct statistical analysis Qualitative data is typically observations ex the car starting after recharging the battery surveys using the Likert scale ex Agree disagree etc and descriptions Many of our Bio 104 lab experiments will involve collecting data about color changes which are a form of qualitative data Scientists are skeptical and critically evaluate conclusions by repeatedly testing with the goal of verifying validity and reliability Scientists strive for producing objective information that is based on data and clearly supported conclusions rather than bias and personal beliefs Therefore scientists are always testing their own and others ideas Conclusions are based on the best available data at the time When there are technological advancements and new discoveries the conclusions can change In this lab we will gain experience with common tools used in the laboratory to collect data and we ll start to test our reasoning skills through a simple experiment Metric System In scientific and industrial fields a system known as the metric system serves as the universal system of measurement The metric system is based on units of 10 Conversions between the units of the metric can be achieved by simply shifting placement of the decimal point The following are the basic units of measurement in this system Metric Unit Measurement Meter m Gram g Liter L Length Mass Volume Celsius oC Temperature Page 2 of 4 2 Greek or Latin prefixes are used to denote the change in power of 10 The figure here represents the more commonly used prefixes The 100 is representative of 1 0 meter 1 0 gram or 1 0 liter To convert smaller units into larger units move the decimal point to the LEFT To convert larger unties into smaller units move the decimal point to the RIGHT An example would be a smaller 2 0 centimeters 10 2 is equal to a larger 0 02 meters 100 English Metric Relationships In the United States the English system is used more often when giving details of measurements A few common units are inch foot yard ounce pound teaspoon gallon and Fahrenheit When working in science you must convert the English measurement to the Metric system before continuing The table below shows the most common conversion factors Length 1 inch 2 54 cm 1 foot 30 35 cm 1 mile 1 6 km 1 yard 0 91 m Mass 1 ounce 28 3 g 1 pound 454 g Volume 1 teaspoon 5 mL 1 gallon 3 79 L 1 quart 0 946 L 1 fluid ounce 30 mL Temperature F C x 9 5 32 C 5 9 x F 32 Measuring Mass and Volume and Temperature Mass is defined as the measure of the amount of matter in an object and is generally measured in grams using a scale balance When measuring mass always use a weigh boat to protect the scale First place the weigh boat on the scale then press the tare or zero button which causes the scale to subtract the weight of the weigh boat Volume is defined as the measure of the space occupied by an object Volume is generally measured using devices like beakers graduated cylinders and pipettes When we use beakers we often Page 3 of 4 3 name them according to the total volume they can safely hold For example a 400 ml beaker can safely hold 400 ml but we might use it to measure 300 ml of liquid Liquids like water can form a curved meniscus because of surface tension A meniscus can be concave curving into the liquid image A or convex curving above the liquid image B Thermometers are typically used to measure temperature In science temperature is always measured in Celsius Throughout this course make sure to convert degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit in order to have a better idea of how hot or cold something is Science and Cooking Cooking is science in action with delicious results Though many of us don t commonly think of chefs as scientists the best recipes and meals are a result of the scientific process If you ve ever had the buttery flakey slightly crunchy puff pastry surrounding a cherry turnover holding a scrumptious quiche or layered and dripping with honey in baklava then you ve experienced the result of a successful scientific experiment The recipe for puff pastry is rather simple 1 25 cups of flour 25 teaspoon of salt 5 tablespoons of frozen butter and 5 tablespoons of water When the recipe is simple the technique and attention to accurately measuring each ingredient is the difference between creating something outstanding and creating something disgusting If too much water is added to puff pastry it becomes shrunken and tough